Sorrow Has A Human Heart
by Crystallised-Hearts
Summary: Ordered by her employers to leave Serkonos in search of a person known more for being a ghost than a man, Mariah Rowe finds herself in a situation she wouldn't have accepted if she knew how it'd turn out for her and her companions. Her employers want something the Overseers have, but the artifact is worse than she could have imagined. Later Daud x original character.


Sorrow Has A Human Heart

Chapter †: Stranger Seas

A stocky man with a long, grey beard and marked by an anchor medallion on his navy double-breasted coat waved his hand in the air and whistled to gain attention.

"Steady as she goes, men. We're close to the boarder," the captain of the Bloody Gale, Raymond Falcke, commanded from above the quarterdeck and slowly lowered his hand.

The whaling trawler creaked under the pressure of the waves as they bashed heavily against the bow. The crewmen all turned towards the horizon where the ghost of a great city lay behind a damp fog. The wind came still from the west and the empty chains above the crane where a whale would have been held, rattled and clanked against the steel frames. Upon command, the crew sprang from their positions and rushed down to the lower deck.

I ghosted my hand down the barrel of my pistol and watched the specks of light, cast from the lamps secured to the high-bound walls of the cabin, gleam off the edges.

"We'll be nearing the city soon," Ulysses said from over my shoulder in a voice so quiet, that it was almost unheard. The slack, band-collar shirt was the first I saw, and then the long tailcoat that had stains of sweat and sea water. It was strange to hear his voice; hoarse from the lack of use. It was the first time he spoke since we left Serkonos.

"Aye, we will," I said and placed the pistol in its holster. "Do you think the rumours are true? About the rat plague, I mean."

The scowl that always seemed to be a permanent part of his scarred face grew cold as his gaze left the shoreline and landed on the buildings the ship slowly passed. They were hollow buildings with no light or chatter like the weak hours of the morning sometimes brought, especially in large cities. The cracked window panes were dark and cold, and the only sounds that could be heard were the distant echo of a loudspeaker and the cries of crows that flew by.

"This city is tainted," he said. "There's evil here. I do not like it."

"Evil?" I asked. "By what means?"

"I do not know, but we should not linger here."

"We took this job knowing the risks. It's not like we're unprepared for this."

"I doubt one can be prepared for this place," he muttered, under his breath, as if he was ashamed to say it. "There's an air to it that makes my gut churn."

"That could be the hagfish stew. There's a reason I missed the evening meal."

The ship's captain stabbed a finger into my shoulder and it was only when I had turned around that I saw his angry face. I did not need to ask to know the cause of it.

"Where is he?" I asked and Falcke pointed to the single, grim, motionless figure that lay stretched upon the boards with vacant eyes and a bottle of half-drank cider in hand.

Without a single glance spared at the boy, Ulysses turned away from the river and shook his head. "Your brother is a fool."

"Maybe," I said and took the bottle from my brother's loose fingers. "But he's my fool." The water broke white as the bottle hit the surface, yet my brother did not notice its absence. It was the kick to the stomach that woke him.

A spasm of pain contorted his features and he threw his hands out to try and grasp something that wasn't there. Confused, he fell back and covered his forehead with a bare arm.

"Have a nice sleep?" I asked and kicked his shoe.

"Lovely," he groaned and sat up. "Wasn't I with someone?"

"No. You must've been dreaming again. Who was it this time? The butcher's wife? That farm girl you said you knew? Or maybe the barmaid at the inn back home?"

"Neither," he said and, with the use of the banister, dragged himself to his feet. "Why'd you wake me up anyway?"

"A part from being more trouble than I thought you'd be?" The humour I felt left like the passing gull that perched itself upon the roof of the cabin, and I lowered my gaze. "We've made it to Dunwall."

"Dunwall, huh?" He stared out over the river and watched the beacons float past. "So, this is the place."

"Aye, it is."

William sneered, like he smelled something fowl in the air. "Doesn't look like much."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect? Fancy wine and festivals?"

He scowled. "No, but something similar... maybe."

Behind came Falcke's voice. It was harsh and thickly accented, due to his many years commanding the ship. "I see you've brought the lad back into the world. Least he isn't vomiting over my deck."

"That only happened once, Falcke," returned William, bitterly.

The captain barely stifled a snort, folded his bear-like arms and turned to me with a sorrowful gaze. "Well, 'fraid this is where we part, lass. There's a boat ready for ya. Keep close to the shores and you should be fine. If you're caught though, there's nothing I can do for you."

I nodded. "We know."

"See that you do." He glanced back over the Bloody Gale and a small, sad smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Well, the crew and I'll be staying here for a while. If you decide that this job of yours isn't worth the pay, then come back. I'll take ya home."

"My thanks, Falcke."

"Ah, it's no trouble. Just, stay out of trouble, yeah?"

"Sorry, Falcke." William smirked. "Can't promise you that."

Falcke frowned a frown so dark that even Ulysses reacted to the sight of it. "You mind her, you hear? If anything happens to the girl, I'll be holding you responsible."

"I'll be fine, Falcke," I said with a small smile.

"Be sure you are, lass."

A small vessel floated by the Bloody Gale. Falcke's first mate stood by the engine with his arms cupped behind his back.

"All aboard," the first mate yelled and once the three of us had sat ourselves down, he yanked the steering rod forward and the vessel departed.

The fog had banked itself around the city like a wall and it made the sailing difficult for the first mate. However, it was not long before the thick of it had passed and I was able to see the black outline of the harbour. The first mate swore at the spikes of metal that were borne from the surface and the vessel was slowly manoeuvred through.

When the fog had lifted and darkness completely settled, we could see the light of a fire on the far side of the mere, close to the shoreline. The boat moored to the side and the lantern in my hand shook until circles of light flickered and wavered across the water and through the reeds. There was a shadow that moved closer to the light. It was an elderly man, clothed in an old leather jacket and torn trousers.

"Quickly, quickly. We mustn't be seen," he said and hurried us off the boat.

I cursed when my boots hit the frozen water and quickly made my way over to the river bank.

"You must be Mister Doyle," I said to the stranger.

"Yes, I am," Mr Doyle replied rather quickly. "You must be Miss Rowe."

"Call me Mariah." I gestured to my companions. "This is Ulysses and the other is my brother, William."

Mr Doyle nodded. "It's good to meet you all, but we shouldn't stay. City Watch are around every corner. They'll know of your arrival soon enough."

"The City Watch is still active in the city?" Ulysses asked.

"Quite," the older man replied. "The city may be poor, but the guards surely aren't. Please, we must hurry."

"Then lead the way."

Dunwall was not the city I expected to see. I was told of the recent plague that had spread through the streets like wildfire, but I had never seen such devastation before. The cobbled streets were vacant and lifeless with exception of the long-tailed vermin that had taken over. The tall, brick buildings were grim-looking and dark. Some were boarded up while others were simply left abandoned. Paintings were spread across the backs of alleyways depicting Empress Jessamine's death and the street gangs that had ran amuck.

We were taken through a narrow, slum-like passage to an old tavern called the Rat Catcher Pub, but half of the building was little more than a pile of rubble, glass shards and tiles.

The clanking and jarring of keys caught my attention and it was not long before Mr Doyle unlocked the door.

A smile crossed the old man's face and he crept inside.

Surprisingly, the pub was not in too poor condition. There were the odd cracks in the ceiling and the occasional drop of water from the taps behind the bar, but the chairs and tables were unbroken and the lights worked, though they flickered quite often.

"Please, please, make yourselves at home," Mr Doyle said and rushed behind the bar to fetch shot glasses and three tins of canned jelly eels.

I took one look at the eels and felt my gut churn. "That's quite alright, Mister Doyle. I've... err... ate quite a lot on the ship."

"Speak for yourself," William said and plunged his hand into the tin.

I grimaced. There was a reason I did not like jelly eels.

I followed Ulysses to one of the vacant tables and dropped my sack on the nearest bench. He tipped his cap down and stretched out his arms.

The glasses were set on the table and Mr Doyle pulled up a stool. "It's been quite a while since I've had company," he said.

I frowned. "Aren't there others? We were told that there was a group with you."

The old man lowered his gaze to the drink in his hand, shook the contents and then downed it in one swig. "There's not many of us left I'm afraid. No one comes round anymore." The glass hit the table with a heavy thud and Mr Doyle leaned back in his chair. "So, what brings the three of you to Dunwall? Your employers didn't mention much in their letters."

"We're looking for someone," I said. "A man to be precise. Our employers are _very_ interested in him and said that he was the man to talk to about our work."

The elder man's eyes widened and he leaned further forward with elbows rested on the table's edge. "Oh? And who may this man be, exactly?"

My hand rested in my jacket pocket and pulled out a folded parchment. It was placed in the centre of the table and rolled out. It was a wanted poster of a long-faced man with a scar over the eye. The bounty was underneath, but the parchment was old and I had no doubt that the price for his head had increased.

Mr Doyle took one look at the inked picture and frowned.

Underneath the wanted picture was the name.

Daud.


End file.
